Button-hole sewing-machine



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

P. W. GROSS.

BUTTON HOLE SEWING MACHINE.

No. 279,349. Patented June 12,1883.

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I BUTTON HOLE SEWING MACHINE. No. 279.349. 7 Patented June 12,1883,

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Frank W Cross,

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F. W. GROSS.

BUTTON HOLE SEWING MACHINE.

No. 279,349. Patented June 12,1883.

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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4. P. W. GROSS.

' BUTTON HOLE SEWING MACHINE. N0. 2Z9',349.- Patented June 12,1883.

Ivwenfofi Frank WC'ross, by $62M v flilorlwy.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK \V. GROSS, OF LYNN, B'IASSAGHUSETTS.

BUTTON-HOLE SEWING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 279,349, dated June 12, 1883.

Application filed March 1, 1893. (No model.) i 7 To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK \V. ORoss, of.

ing the work, that is arranged to be fed transversely of the machine-table and to be rotated about the needle; and my invention has for its objects a more accurate timing ofthe stopping of the machine at the end of the buttonhole, an instantaneous stopping of the machine when the thread breaks, and simplifying the labor of the operator by enabling her to start the machine with the foot, thus leaving the hands free to manipulate the work; and it consists in certain novel devices and combinations and arrangements of parts, which will be best understood by reference to the description of the drawings, and to the claims, to be hereinafter given.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a plan of a machine embodying my invention, the bench upon which the sewing-machine is supposed to be mounted and beneath which the counter-shaft is placed being omitted for the purpose of the better showing the several parts of the invention. Fig. 2. is a vertical transverse section on line as x on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a rear side elevation of the sewing-machine without the couir ter-shaft. Fig. 4 is a front side elevation. Fig.

.5 is a partial section on line 1 g on Fig. 1. Fig.

6 is a partial section on line .2 .2 on Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a sectional plan of the brake-shoe and its stand. Fig. 8 is an elevation of the inner end of the push-pin for releasing the brake-retracting lever. Fig. 9 is an elevation of the devices for automatically stopping the machine when the thread breaks, drawn to an enlarged scale. Fig. 10 is an. elevation of the shipper-lever, and

Fig. 11 is a plan of pusltpin for releasing the brake-retracting lever.

A is the bed or main table, B the gooseneck, 0 the removable work-plate, and D the work-clamping plate, of a Singer button-hole sewing machine. The table A is pivoted to the stands E and E, which are firmly secured in the appropriate positions up on the bench F.

G is the coimter-shaft, mounted in bearings in the stands H H, secured to the floor of the building, beneath the bench F, and to the rear of the back edge of the table-A, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The shaft G has firmly secured thereon the disk I, and in near proximity thereto is mounted the grooved loose pulley I, provided with a circumferential groove, (1, in its hub, with which the forked end of the elbow shipper-lever J engages, as shown.

Between the pulley I and disk I is placed a disk ofleather, b, to serve as a frictioirpad,

whereby the pulley 1 maybe made to revolve with the shaft G when pressed hard toward the disk I by the action of the shipper-lever J. Motion is impartedto the shaft G by means of the pulley K and a suitable belt (not shown) leading therefrom to a main shaft or other prime mover. 1

L is a treadle-lever pivoted at c to the stand L, and connected at itsrear end to the horizontal arm of the shipper-lever J, and having its front end in a convenient position to be acted upon by the operators'foot while sitting at the machine and manipulating the work to be acted upon with his or her hands.

M is a brake-shoe shaped to fit the side of the rim of thefl -wheel N, and mounted by its horizontal shank M in the stand M secured to the back side of the goose-neck B, and pressed into contact with the wheel N by the spring (I, the tension of which may be regulated by means of the set-screw, d, as shown in Fig. 7.

O is an elbow-lever pivoted at e to the back edge of the table A, with its short arm projecting upward in a position to bear'against the side of the pin f, set in the side of the shank of the brakeshoe M, and projecting through the slot g, formed in the stand M", all as shown in Fig. 3. The lever O is made preferably of sheet-steel, so that it may readily be sprung horizontally, and has the end of its long or horizontal arm made T-shaped, and has pivoted thereto, near the middle of its length, the connecting-rod 1?, the lower end of which is connected to the treadle-lever L, as shown in Fig. 2.

Q is a catch, with which the upper edge of the long arm of the lever Oengages when depressed to remove the brake-shoe from con tact with the wheel N, said catch. being secured to the rear edge of the table A, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 6. v

A thin bar, 71, is fitted to a groove formed in the under side of the rear portion of the workplate in a position to be struck by the pin i of the work-holding clamp-plate 1) as it is moved toward the rear of the table after the eye of the button-hole has been worked. The bar 71 has secured to its rear end the block h, in which is adjustably secured the screw pin h", in a position to come in contact with the lever 0 and push it from beneath the catch Q, when it is moved toward the rear by the action of said pin 1?. The block h is split from the threaded hole which receives the screw-pin If to one side and is provided with the clampingscrew 71 as shown in Figs. 1, 5, and 8.

The operation of so much of my improvements as has been described is as follows: \Vhen the work has been properly placed in the work-clamp andthe clamp properly adjusted relative to the needle the operator places the toe of the foot upon the treadle-lever L and depresses it, which causes the pulley I to be forced into contact with the frictional surface of the leather disk D, which in turn is forced into contact with the disk I, thus causing the pulley I to revolve with the shaft G. The downward motion of the t-readle-lever L, acting through the rod 1, causes the lever O to be moved about its pivot e, and its long arm to be depressed so as to engage with the catch Q, which movement of the lever 0 causes the brake-shoe M to be removed from contact with the rim of the wheelNand compress the spring d in an obvious manner. These movements take place simultaneously,and the sewing commences and continues till the pin 1' has moved the bar it and pin If to the rear sufficiently far to disengage the lever 0 from the catch Q, when the reaction of the spring (l causes the brakeshoe M to engage with the rim of the wheel N, and at the same time, by raising the long arm of the lever O, the rod P and treadle-lever L cause the pulley I to be removed from contact with the disk I and the motion of the ma chine to be stopped. The advantage of this mechanism is that the operator does not have to use her hands to start the machine, as is the ease with the machines now in common use.

It has been found in practice, however, that themachine at the desired time, they could not be relied upon to stop the machine always at the right time in the movement of the needlebar, and at the same stitchas, for instance, if stitches were skipped, or the thread or needle broke, necessitating the setting of the needle anew, or the recommencing ofthe .work at the point where the break was made, the feed-wheel was pretty sure to be thrown out of time with the needle, and in case of variations in speed, which were very liable to occur, variations in the stopping of the machine would be the result, the machine often coming to a standstill while the needle was in the work, while it was making its downward stroke, or while it was making its upward stroke, after having descended through the slit of the button-hole, either of which positions were objectionable, for the reason that the operator had to move the fly-wheel against the pressure of the brake to bring the needle into the proper position for commencing the work again at the desired point, the proper position for said needle being, when it had risen, some little distance above the work after having descended through the same, and not through the button-hole.

To insure the stopping of the machine unr formly at the same point in the movement of the needle, I apply to the brake-shoe,directly or indirectly, a'locking-bolt so arranged as to lock said brake-shoe away from the flywheel N, and to be acted upon to release said brakeshoe, by a cam arranged to make a complete revolution about its axis of motion and come in contact with said bolt once to two complete strokes or double reciprocations of the needle.

In. the machine illustrated in the drawings, R is thelocking-bolt, having its bearings in the ear j of the stand M", and on the screw 7;, set in the goose-neck B, said bolt being provided with the downwardly-proj ecting arm R in front of the shaft of the fly-wheel N, as shown in Fig. 9. The rear end of the bolt R is so arranged relative to the vertical arm of the lever 0 that when the long arm of said lever is depressed by the treadle, so to engage with the catch Q, and the brake-shoe has been removed from contact with the fly-wheel, said bolt will be moved backward by the spring k till its'rear end is interposed in the vibratory path of the short arm of said lever 0, so as to prevent the brake-shoe from being moved into contact with the fly-wheel, when the lever O is released from the catch Q, until the bolt R is withdrawn from the path of the lever O.

S is a ring or collar adjustably secured to.

the hub of the fly-wheel or its shaft by the setscrew 1, and carrying the arm or pin m, projecting therefrom parallel to the axis of revolution of the fly-wheel, and adapted to strike the arm R of the bolt R at each revolution of the wheel N, and move said bolt toward the front of the machine a sufficient distance-to remove its rear end from the path of the vertical arm of the lever 0, said collar and pin being, in effect, a cam for moving the bolt R R. The ring or collar Sand its aim or pin m'may be so adjusted as to accurately time the movement of the bolt B, so as to stop the machine when the needle has just left the work on its upward stroke, as before described.

In some machines the fly or driving wheel N is mounted directly upon the needle-bar-o'p crating shaft, in which case, in order to apply my improvement, the collar S and its pin a. would of necessity have to be applied to a different shaft from that on which the fly-wheel is mounted, as said collar and pin should make one revolution to two revolutions of the needle-baroperating'shaft.

In working button-holes in leather-work it is very desirable that the necessity for sewing twice over the same track should be avoided as much as possible, on account of the danger of spoiling the work by cutting the stock by too many perforations of the needle. This is likely to occur every time that the thread breaks, and hence the necessity of a stop-motion that may be operated by the breaking of the thread. To accomplish this I mount the rod T in bearings in the front and rear ribs of the table A, with its rear end in contact with the inner surface of the lever 0, when it is engaged with the catch Q, and provided at its front end with. the knob T, upon the front face of which bears one end of the lever U, pivoted at a to the front edge of the table A, and having pivoted to its other end the link U, at right angles thereto, and so arranged that its inner end may be moved vertically in a plane corresponding to the plane of movement of the arm R of the bolt R. The inner end of the link U is connected by the link 0 to one end of the lever 12, pivoted at p", and provided at its opposite end with an eye through which the thread from spool q passes on its way from the tension-wheel qto the eye in the end of the pivoted arm 1', as shown in Fig. 4.

In the lower end of the arm R of the bolt R is fitted the screw 8, in such a manner that it may be adjusted so that the outer end of its head may be at a greater or less distance from the axis of motion of the pin on to insure its moving the link U thedesired' distance to unlock the lever 0 from the catch Q through the medium of the lever U and rod T.

The inner end of the link U is guided in its upward and downward movements by the slotted standard V, andwhen the machineis properly threaded its inner end is maintained in the elevated position shown in Figs. 2 and 9, out of the path of the screw-heads but if at any time in the progress of the work the thread If breaks or becomes slack by reason, of the breakage of the needle, the inner end of the link U will drop of its own weight into the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 9,with its inner end directly in the path of the screwhead 8, and at'the next movement of the bolt R, caused by the contact therewith of the pin thus rendered inoperative, and the needle-bar.

is instantly brought to a standstill. This part of my inventionviz., the mechanism for stopping the machine when the thread breaks-is just as applicable to other sewing-machines as to button-hole sewing-machines, as it is not dependent upon the movement of the workclamp, and hence I do not wish to be limited to its use on button-hole sewing-machines.

I am aware that stop-motions have been ap plied to button-hole sewing-machines and operated by the work-clamp, and therefore I do not claim, broadly, a stop-motion operated by the work-clamping device; but

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

i 1. In combination with a bntton-hole sewing-machine provided with a worleclamping device, thespring-pressed brake-shoe M, the elbow-lever O, the catch Q, the push-pin vi, the counter-shaft G, provided with tight and loose pulleys, the shipper J, and the treadle-lever L, connected bythe rod 1 to the lever O, and arranged and adapted to be depressed by the foot, and thereby retract the brake-shoe and lock it, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a button-hole sewing-machine provided with a work-clamping device, the brake-shoe M, the elbow-lever O, the catch Q, the push-pin h h", the pin 13, the locking-bolt It R, and an adjustable cam arranged and adapted to be revolved about its axis and to retract the locking-bolt R R once to every two revolutions of the needle-operating shaft of the machine, substantially as described, for the purposes specified 3. In a button-hole sewing-machine provided with an automatic stop mechanism, the combination of the vertically-vibrating elbowlever O, the latch Q, theextensible push-pin h h, fitted to slide in a groove in the under side of the work-plate O, and the pin z of the work-clamping device D, as a means of operating the stop mechanism, substantially as described.

4c. The combination, in a sewing-machine, of a spring-pressed brake-shoe, a lever for retracting said shoe, a catch for locking said lever, a bolt for locking the brake-shoe in a retracted position, a cam or other device for retracting said boltat regular intervals, a push rod adapted to disengage the brake-shoe-retracting lever from its catch, a system of levers connecting said push-rod with the thread that supplies the needle, and arranged and adapted to be inoperative while the thread IIO remains taut, and to be acted upon to move In testimony whereo'fIhavc signed my name said push-rod endwise by the retractive moveto this speeification,in the presence of two subment of the locking-bolt Whenever the thread scribing Witnesses, on this 26th day of Februbreaks, substantiahy as described. ary, A. D. 1883. 5 5. The combination of the brake-shoe M,

the lever O, the catch Q, the locking-bolt R FRANK XV. CROSS.

R, the adjustable screw 8, the cam S m, the

rod 1, the levers U and 1), link U, and the \Vitnesses:

rod 0 all arranged and adapted to operate snb- E. A. HEMMENWAY, 10 stantially as and for the purposes described. \VALTER 1*]. LOMBARD. 

